Madly In Love
by Aya Marie-chan
Summary: Tenshi chan, that man takes the phrase 'madly in love' to a whole new level. [SasuSaku, GaaSaku] Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
1. Chapter 1

Okay, here's my latest fanfic! I was inspired for this by the song "Bloody Valentine" by Good Charlotte. I know a lot of people out there hate them, but please don't judge my book by them because it inspired me and nothing further. The song only gives tiny hints about the plot and nothing more. This was just an idea that popped into my head and I decided to post it; I'm not really sure where to go with it, or even to continue at all... I hope you like it!

xX Aya Marie-chan

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Four-year-old Sakura spun in circles as she laughed so hard she was crying. Her short pink hair was flapping wildly in the wind, but it didn't bother her. The tears of joy spilled out of her eyes, she was truly having the time of her life. In that moment, Haruno Sakura felt entirely carefree.

She was in a field of flowers with one solitary sakura tree. She claimed the tree as her own. Her hair matched the petals that would fall occasionally perfectly. This place was her sanctuary, her oasis where she was untouchable.

"Hiya!" Sakura heard a voice say cheerfully. She immediately ceased her swirling and turned to face the intruder of her tranquility. Little Sakura never liked people, since whenever she tried to talk to them, they made fun of her "oversized" forehead and "freakish" pink hair. Those experiences always ended in crying- and the tears weren't of joy.

Sakura found the voice's owner; he was a boy that looked just about her age. He had midnight black hair and entrancing onyx eyes. He was really handsome. The boy was studying her face. When she noticed this, she immediately threw her tiny hands over her forehead, trying to hide it.

The boy noticed her actions and asked worriedly, "Are you alright? Do you have a fever or sumfin'? I'm sure if you didn't feel good that my okaasan would heal you all up!" Sakura just stood there and waited for the mocking to come, yet it never did.

She forced her eyes to peek open and prayed that the boy had gotten bored with her and left. No such luck, the boy was staring down at her with innocent concern. Sakura fell on her butt out of shock. Disobeying her reflexes to have her hands break her fall, she kept them stubbornly clamped over her forehead.

"I know what to do!" the child exclaimed, entirely exultant. He walked over to her and gently took her hands off of her forehead. He beamed down at her before leaning in and planting a soft kiss where her hands had been. This caused tiny Sakura to blush profusely; her face matched her deep, red dress. No body had every kissed her like that besides her parents…

The boy said smiling, "That's what my okaasan does when I have a boo-boo! It always makes me feel better!"

"Aren't you going to laugh at my ugly face, just like the rest of them?" Sakura whispered quietly. Her voice sounded expectant, like she had adjusted to being tortured by others. Her eyes were now brimming with unshed tears, all of her previous happiness forgotten.

The young child questioned, "Why in the world would I do that? You are the furthest thing from ugly! The reason I came over in the first place was to look at you! At first I thought you were an angel, but I didn't know there were angels my age… But you're too pretty to be human… I know, I'll call you Tenshi-chan!" If it were possible, Sakura's blush would have deepened, but her redness was already to the maximum.

Still a bit timid, Sakura said giggling a bit, "Hehe, no silly! I'm not an angel! My name is Haruno Sakura, what's yours?"

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke replied proudly. Sakura had never felt this jovial in her entire fours years of life- she finally had a friend! This was the first person she met that was her age that didn't shun or insult her.

Sasuke paused before he asked doubtfully, "Are you sure that you aren't an angel, Tenshi-chan?" Sakura just laughed lightly and nodded. Sasuke stood there inspecting her, this time though, Sakura didn't become self-conscious; she felt comfortable around him.

"Nah, you definitely are an angel! You are trying to keep your under-cover identity! You won't fool me with you divine tactics!" Sasuke accused. Sakura just shook her head in a resigned manner.

Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, a teenager that looked strikingly similar to Sasuke appeared. He was gorgeous, older replica of little Sasuke. Sakura couldn't help but to wonder if that's what her new friend would look like when he was older…

"Hey otouto, who's your new friend?" the teenager asked he younger brother. The way he looked at Sasuke, you could tell that he absolutely adored him. Sasuke seemed to reciprocate these feelings.

He smiled proudly as he answered, "This is Tenshi-chan! She's an angel, isn't that so cool! Well… she says her name is Sakura-chan and that she isn't an angel, but I don't believe her! I think that she is just saying that to keep her, umm… angelness a secret! Have you ever met an angel before now, aniki?"

The older boy laughed, as he replied, "No, I can't say I have. And, otouto, 'angelness' isn't a word. Anyways, I came to get you because it's time for dinner. It was nice meeting you, Sakura, but now it's time for us to go." Then, Sasuke pulled up Sakura off of the ground, since she was still sitting there form her fall, and gave her a big hug.

"I hope I see you tomorrow, Tenshi-chan! If you come here again, I'll see you for sure! I'll remember because you look just like the tree here, Tenshi-chan, but I think that you're more beautiful… Now it's time for me to go have dinner!" Sasuke exclaimed excitedly. Sakura just beamed at him.

Sasuke walked over to his brother who proceeded to kneel on the ground so his brother could hoist himself onto his back. Sasuke did just this; it was a regular routine for them. Then, the older boy darted off, unfazed by the fact that Sasuke on his back.

Sakura just stared at the two brothers, completely amazed and entranced by how in sync they were. She was so happy that she made a friend; it had been a great day for her. Sakura decided to rush home and tell her parents about her new-found-friend. Little did she know, she had one all along- he watched her every day in that very field, as she danced and sang alone. She knew nothing about him, and yet he knew everything about her. As Sakura ran home, she didn't have a single clue that pale, aquamarine eyes watched her the entire way.

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Tsuzuku

Tenshi- Angel

As you can see that this is at the beginning of the cast of Naruto's childhood. I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

Here is the second chapter! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, I will reply to them all tomorrow, or later today if I can. I'm sorry if I make any errors! Enjoy everyone!

**The bold will always be flashbacks.**

JCK- Thanks! I have decided to keep going with it :) I apologize deeply for any mistakes I made. Well, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!

xX Aya Marie-chan

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As the sun rose, the beams crept through Sakura's curtains and shined on her face as she slept peacefully. As always, he watched her. His eyes studied her with a mixture of adoration, curiosity, and even slight envy. He was slightly jealous because she was able to take part in such a frivolous activity; he would never be able to do such a thing, but he decided that she deserved the rest of sleep. 

He was scared for her because of what he saw her parents discussing the night before, after they had sent her to bed. Sakura absolutely cherished her parents, since she thought that they were the only people to love and accept her, yet she never saw their true feelings. She only saw what appeared on the surface, never the cruelty that lies beneath.

**Sakura timidly entered her home, which was a tiny, three-room shack with a bathroom. The family was constantly struggling with financial matters, since they had a low income. One of the rooms was hers, another was her parents', and the last was the kitchen.**

**"Konban wa," Sakura greeted as she bowed to her parents. They were sitting at the kitchen table, talking in a serious tone and didn't even bother to acknowledge their daughter's presence. Then Sakura's face broke into an exultant beam when she remembered the new friend she had made earlier that day.**

**Sakura said cheerfully, "Guess what? Today I made a new…" She trailed off because her father turned to her with an angry look on his face.**

"**Sakura, it's time for you to go to bed," Sakura's father ordered. She was on the verge of protesting, since it was still light outside, then decided against it when she remembered the last time she talked-back. That day she had been beaten so badly she couldn't move for hours.**

**Normally, they would get up and mechanically kiss her on her forehead, yet today they simply turned back to their conversation. Their kisses where always loveless, but she never noticed because she didn't know any other way.**

**Saddened by their indifference, Sakura dredged to her room. Yet, the child who watched the events unfold from outside their kitchen window decided to stay a bit longer.**

**Sakura's father said tiredly after she was gone, "That girl is bothersome, I told you that we should have orphaned her at birth…"**

"**Yes I know, but now this girl is precisely what will get us out of our debt! We'll sell her into the slave market- we won't have to pay for her food anymore and she will get us a bit a extra money on the side, it's perfect!" the mother exclaimed malevolently. They both began to smirk and laugh manically in unison, they were truly evil creatures. **

**The young boy who was always watching, and never stopped his monitoring of Sakura, narrowed his eyes dangerously. He didn't find their plan amusing in the least. What he didn't like had a tendency to suddenly cease to exist.**

The girl stirred in her sleep and groaned a bit. So he wasn't caught, the boy disappeared in a flurry of sand. The exact second that he had vanished, her eyes fluttered open lazily. She was finding them hard to open; they felt heavy, like they weighed tons.

When she was able to force them open all of the way, she examined her surrounding room. It was empty with the exception of her dresser and her bed. On top of the dresser were a hand mirror and a brush.

She got up and walked over to her dresser. Sakura then changed out of her plain pajamas into her daily red, dress. She picked up the mirror in one hand and the brush in the other, and then proceeded to study herself in the mirror and brush her hair. In the mirror, her silver chain that was on her neck, shined beautifully. Sakura had that chain as long as she could remember, and she never took it off.

Sakura never thought that she was dreadfully ugly, but once you heard it enough, you started to believe it. She could never understand what made them constantly insult and ridicule her.

After placing the hand mirror and the brush back onto her dresser, she walked into to kitchen. Normally, she would have to cook the family breakfast, but today the kitchen was empty. Sure she thought it was weird, but she wasn't going to complain.

Sakura was so eager to see her new friend Sasuke, that she decided to skip breakfast completely. Then, she skipped out of the house and went on her normal route to the sakura tree. Today though, the boy didn't watch her, not that she would know any different; she hadn't even seen him after all. The boy had chosen to make a slight detour.

When Sakura came to the tree, the area was empty, much to her disappointment. She was a bit crestfallen, but she knew that she must have patience. Sakura plopped herself down at the base of the tree and closed her eyes, this area always had a serene feeling for her.

Her eyes shot open when she heard girlish giggling. She realized that she was entirely surrounded by older girls. This was the pack of girls that were constantly bullying her. Sakura's eyes widened as she asked herself how in the world they had found her here, it was at one point, the only place she ever felt safe.

"I heard that you were chatting with my Sasuke-kun yesterday, ugly! You want to know what your punishment for that is, you hideous brat?" the leader of the gang asked threateningly. In reply, all Sakura could do was whimper as her eyes filled with tears. She knew that she was about to face a beating and more insults.

Out of nowhere, kunai and shuriken came whizzing through the air and pinned the girls to the ground with perfect precision.

A voice from behind her answered coldly, "I must say, I'm curious of what you plan on doing to Tenshi-chan. You should talk to my friends with higher respect; I expect that you'll call her Tenshi-sama from now on. And if you don't, those kunai won't be in the ground; they'll be in your flesh." Sakura whipped her head around to see her savior. It was none other than her one and only friend- Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura giggled, " My name is Sakura, not Tenshi, silly!" The evil girls managed to struggle their way free and stood. They turned to where Sakura and Sasuke were standing and bowed.

The girls said through clenched teeth, "Please do forgive us, Tenshi-sama and Sasuke-kun. We'll be on our way now." Their eyes revealed utmost disdain as Sakura's shimmered in amusement. Sasuke's face was entirely stoic as he nodded, but his eyes exposed that he was also entertained.

Without another word, the girls ran away as fast as they could. Once they were out of sight, Sakura ran up to Sasuke and engulfed him in a hug. He was shocked for a moment, and then he returned the embrace. After they broke apart, she walked over to where the shuriken and kunai were embedded in the ground and retrieved them. Then she walked back over to Sasuke and returned them to him.

Sasuke just shook his head and said, "You can keep these, I have more than enough at home. Consider it a friendship gift from me to you, Tenshi-chan!" Sakura just stared at him, mouth agape. He put them in a case and handed them to her. She placed the case around her thigh.

"But… But, Sasuke-kun, I don't know how to even use them! And…" she trailed off, "And I don't have anything to give you in return…" Sakura just stared at the ground as she wracked her brain for anything she owned that would possibly be good enough as a gift to her friend.

"That's fine if you don't have anything, Tenshi-chan! Oh, and if you don't know how to use them, then I can teach you!" Sasuke said trying to cheer her up.

Suddenly, Sakura's face lit up as she recalled of something that she could give to him. She lifted her hands to her neck and took off the silver chain that lay there. It was a plain and simple chain, which lacked a locket, but it was the most valuable thing she owned.

She took his hand in her hand and put the chain in it as she said, "Here, Sasuke-kun! Take good care of it!"

"Thanks, Tenshi-chan! I'll wear it every day! That way, whenever I wear it, it'll be like we're together! And whenever you use those weapons to protect yourself, it's kind of like I'm protecting you too!" Sasuke exclaimed. He put on the silver chain, and his navy blue shirt immediately hid it.

Then, they hugged again, entirely happy that they were best friends. They broke apart however, when Sakura's stomach rumbled loudly.

"I know, why don't we stop at my house for some lunch, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed. She didn't bother to wait for his consent; she just grabbed his hand and began to run in the direction of her home.

She stopped dragging him when they found themselves in front of her rundown shack. Sasuke was shocked that they could possibly live in such a small house, since he lived in the Uchiha complex, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Sakura turned to Sasuke and told him, "I'm going to pick some flowers for my parents, go in ahead of me." He nodded and entered the front door. Before Sakura got to pick even a single flower from in the front of the house, Sasuke came staggering out of the doorway hyperventilating.

"Tenshi-chan, I just remembered that my mother wanted to meet you! Why don't we go to my house instead?" Sasuke asked uneasily, it was apparent that something was bothering him.

Seeing her friend's discomfort, she nodded, "Sure, I'm just going to tell my parents where I'll be first!" Sasuke tried, but before he could stop her, Sakura stumbled into her house and upon her parents' bloody, dead bodies.

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Tsuzuku

Konban wa- Good evening


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the third chapter! I am very sorry for any errors I may have made. I'm too lazy to double-check it so the probabilty is higher than normal. Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I will reply them tomorrow I hope you enjoy the chapter!

JCK- Thanks! I always put some sort of meaning into the titles of my stories. I guessI do it because I think it's fun when I read a story and I am able to make a connection in between the title and the plot. Yes, dearest Sasuke-kun tried to save her, but failed :( I enjoy GaaSaku as well, and I'll make sure to have some in here, it won't always be one-sided! I decided to do that, but I've been too lazy to change the summary...

xX Aya Marie-chan

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Sakura had fallen on the floor, on top of the corpses. Their blood covered her clothing and her skin.

Sakura's initial reaction was quite unexpected. She simply stood up and looked at her bloody hands. For what seemed like hours she just stood there and studied them, as if they were some sort of abomination to life and she had committed the crime herself. Next she began to hyperventilate and her eyes grew wide. She wanted to scream, but her throat was too constricted to allow her to even utter a single sound.

Sasuke walked in timidly, knowing what his friend had already seen despite his efforts to protect her from having to witness the terrifying sight. When he saw his friend, however, he found that sight much more heartbreaking than what lie on the floor.

He wasn't quite sure what to do in a situation like this. Sasuke knew that if he had seen his parents bodies mutilated in such a manner, he would most likely go into a deep depression and hysteria.

Working off of pure instincts, Sasuke walked up behind Sakura and hugged her. He didn't want to see his friend in so much pain; her pain hurt him as well.

"I'm sorry, Tenshi-chan…" Sasuke whispered, with the knowledge that those words would do nothing to consol her in her current predicament. She didn't hear his words, and it wasn't because of his volume. Sakura was so distant, like she wasn't there at all. And perhaps she wasn't, maybe it was her mind's defensive mechanism.

Sakura finally managed to choke out, "O… Okaa… OKAASAN! OTOOSAN!" Once she had finally cried out for her parents, knowing that there would be no reply, tears spilled out of her emerald eyes.

The boy, who always watched, felt pain when he saw her cry, as did Sasuke. The boy didn't intend for her to have to endure such agony, yet he knew that it had to be done for her safety and overall happiness. It would be better for her to think that they were killed out of cold blood instead of realizing that they never loved her and to see their cruel side once they sold her off.

He diverted his attention away from Sakura momentarily; just long enough to assess the boy who was attempting to help her through her pain. When he noticed that the raven-haired boy was embracing her, his body went rigid and he began to feel jealousy stab in his gut. He recalled that the previous day, he had a similar feeling when the child even _talked_ to Sakura.

**The red haired boy observed the spinning girl with a slight smile on his face. It was his daily routine to watch her from afar, ever since he ran away. He left because he simply couldn't take it anymore- any of it. He found solace in watching her happiness; at such a young age, he loved.**

**Loving Sakura was nothing that the child learned to do, it simply happened as if it had been there from the beginning. He loved her, and to him, that was all that mattered.**

**All he ever did was watch- day and night; never did he dare to approach her, even though it was tempting. He felt as if he wasn't worthy to stand near her, he felt as though if he even stood in her presence, he would taint her breathtaking innocence. So he just stood at the sidelines.**

**Interrupting his feeling of serenity, he sensed a boy approaching the premises. He seemed to be young by his aura, but his chakra levels were magnificent for his age.**

**He looked for the intruder, prepared to attack him for interrupting his harmony. The intruder was a young boy with raven hair with onyx eyes. The midnight-haired boy was heading directly towards the sakura tree. It seemed as though he was skipping aimlessly.**

**When the intruder noticed Sakura there, he began to talk to her. She stopped spinning happily, and didn't reply for a bit. Eventually the situation progressed to a happy one, she was smiling brightly.**

**When the boy who always watched saw her beaming so exultantly at the other child, he felt something he had never experienced before. It was an odd sensation, but he wanted to cause bodily harm to the young boy who made her smile in such a way. He wanted to be the one to do that, to make his Sakura happy.**

**This emotion was a new one; at first he was so confounded that he couldn't place it. It took him a while to realize that he was jealous of that other boy. He was envious of the boy for being the one to make her smile and make her become so happy. **

**This peculiar sensation caused him to want to use his sand to suffocate the boy. He wanted him to scream out in pain, then for Sakura to come running over to him and say, "You're nice, thank you for saving me! You make me happy," or something along those lines.**

**Yet he knew by her joyous face that things would not turn out that way if he murdered that boy. She would most likely cry, and he never wanted to see that. It was better to see her happy, even if he wasn't the cause of it.**

**Deciding that he always wanted her to be happy, he pushed his sadistic wishes aside and focused solely on her beaming face. If she was content, then he could be too, not for himself, but for her.**

Yet the jealousy he was experiencing was barely noticeable. All he understood in that moment was that she was crying, the one thing that he never wanted to see was unfolding right before his eyes. And still he knew that this was the best way for things to happen.

Sakura stood there, her eyes and brain unable to comprehend that those people lying dead on the floor were _her parents_. Surely this couldn't be happening, not to her, life was already too hard without them, they were the only adults to ever love her; at least to her knowledge. She was blissfully unaware of the heartbreaking truth that they never really did love her.

After a few more moments of standing and staring, Sakura whipped around and returned Sasuke's embrace. At first, Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction, but then they went back to their normal size and he wore a slight smile on his face.

Sakura's sobs ricocheted off of the thin walls of her shack and her body shook. Her mind was now processing the truth of the trauma that lay in front of her. As she thought of the "good" times with them, she squeezed Sasuke harder.

When the boy with aquamarine eyes saw her turn around and hug the other boy so fiercely, the jealousy that had manifested earlier increased tenfold. Yet, he was distracted from his envy by her violently shaking body and the many tears that were falling rapidly to the floor.

With every inch of his heart, he desired to walk inside and wipe away her tears. Then he would consol her, and tell her that it would be okay, that it was for the better, it was for her happiness.

Suddenly a voice near the red-haired boy's ear said quietly in a lethal voice, "Spying on my brother and his friend, I see. If you are going to suffer from so much contrition, perhaps you shouldn't go around killing off people that are important to those you love. So Gaara, son of the Kazekage, what made you _snap_?"


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, it took me an incredibly long time to update! I'm sorry about that... I'm suffer from a massive case of what I like to call "writer's laziness." To make up for that, I've created the longest chapter I've ever posted! It was 6 pages long, which is a lot for me! I'm sorry for any errors... Enjoy the chapter!

Oh, and I hope everyone had a happyy holidays!

**IMPORTANT: THERE WILL BE NO NARUSAKU IN THIS STORY! THEY WILL ONLY BE FRIENDS! But don't worry, Naruto will have his little crush **

I just had to clear that bit up!

JCK- I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Yes, there will be a bit more GaaSaku than the former summary implied! Don't forget that SasuSaku is the main pairing though! Hopefully I won't get carried away as I write it and say something along the lines of "Screw Sasuke, he doesn't deserve Sakura! She's all Gaa-kun's!" I hope you had a very happy holidays! I hope you like the chapter!

xX Aya Marie-chan

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At the intruder's question and tone of voice, Gaara just smirked. Then he began to chuckle darkly, but not loud enough so that the two children inside could hear him. Those words were echoing inside of his mind, which was all too often filled with horrifying scenes of mutilation and bloody murder. 

_So Gaara, son of the Kazekage, what made you _snap?

What made him snap? So this person believed that he had suddenly lost all sanity when he killed her parents? It was amazing just how incredibly wrong he was. Gaara never had sanity to lose. All he ever had was blood, self-love, and _her_. Never was sanity included in that list of things.

However, as he loved Sakura, he was going against his own aphorism in a sense. His kanji tattoo on his forehead means love. When he placed that there he vowed to love none other than himself and fight only for himself. His former purpose in life was killing, because it made him feel alive. The adrenaline would pulse through his veins; killing, in Gaara's view, was a rush of exhilarating excitement.

This person who was breathing down Gaara's neck in a "predatory" manner had said something about… contrition? Regret was hardly among the several emotions he was experiencing in the moment. Gaara wouldn't even know what remorse felt like, since he had never experienced such a thing.

Right now Gaara felt jealous, slightly sad for his love, and sadistic. This person who claimed to be the boy's brother was acting in a rapacious way, which awakened Gaara's personal sadistic, predatory instincts. This person, who seemed so confident that they were the hunter, had aroused Gaara's inner demon. This "hunter" was going to understand what it feels like to become prey. This "hunter" was now the hunted.

"Well, now. I didn't realize that I was so famous," Gaara purred in a sarcastic, not at all childish voice. When this man, or teenager rather, spoke of Gaara's father, it reminded him of all the reasons he ran away. Though, with all of the assassins his father was sending after him, he was receiving a steady supply of people to brutally murder, he hated it so much that he left anyways.

"Of course you are. After all, you are the Kazekage's son; the one who ran away. You are the demon child who slaughters mercilessly and could make any place appear to be an abattoir once you satiated your bloodlust. You wouldn't hesitate to kill women and children, as longer as I satisfied your hunger for blood. Yet, I doubt that 'famous' would be the correct term… The right word would have to be… infamous," the person amended in a dark, almost frightening voice. However, Gaara is incapable of becoming truly frightened. Fear only excites him.

Gaara turned around slowly with a menacing aura and skyrocketing chakra levels. He wasn't turning around because it was necessary to see this intruder for Gaara to attack, but rather because to see this smug, egotist bleed. He wanted this person's face to contort in utmost agony, going down with all pride shattered.

When Gaara laid eyes upon this intruder, he was almost shocked, the keyword, of course, being _almost_. What Gaara saw was an older replica of the source of his envy. It was a teenager with raven hair, a nice build, a perfectly sculpted face, and was tall. The only striking difference between this teenager and the boy inside, other than age, was their eyes. The young boy's eyes were a mesmerizing onyx. However, this teenager's eyes were pools of blood red with dark pupils and three commas.

Gaara was about to make advances and attack this mysterious being when he was interrupted by Sakura's screams of misery and pain. Crying wasn't enough to release all of the internal turmoil and anguish.

"Sorry, Gaara-san, but we'll have to continue this later, I have other business that needs tending to," Itachi drawled and disappeared from sight. Gaara let out a feral growl and clenched his teeth. Gaara would get that boy; after all he'd just stepped right into the demon's territory.

* * *

Sakura squeezed Sasuke harder as she screamed. Why her? Why her parents? What was so wrong with her? Everyone around her either hated her or died. Was she cursed? Wait… If everyone around her either hated her or died… Sasuke didn't hate her, she knew that for certain… but that meant he would… die? 

Sakura screamed louder as she forcefully pushed Sasuke away from her, sending him reeling backwards. At first his face showed that he was shock, but soon that shock was replaced by hurt.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. You should leave; otherwise you'll die too… Just like them… Just like _her_…" Sakura whimpered. Sasuke face softened and he understood her previous actions. This was causing her to recall sad memories of events that had only occurred a month ago.

**Sakura waited at her usual sakura tree, pondering as to why Rin hadn't showed up the past few days. Rin and Sakura would always talk together. Sakura was really beginning to miss her, and she was afraid that she had done something wrong to anger Rin.**

**Whenever Sakura was sad, Rin was there to wipe her tears. Together they were always happy, Rin acted like Sakura's older, loving sister, without the sibling-quarrels.** **With her, Sakura was complete.**

**For the third day in a row, Sakura slouched home, crestfallen at her friend's mysterious absence. She was feeling rejected and was wondering if Rin hated her too, and was just toying with her the entire time…**

**When Sakura entered her minuscule shack, she announced sullenly, "Tadaima." Her mother was at the table, and her father was most likely at work or drinking and gambling.**

"**O-Okaa-san, Rin-chan wasn't there again today… I don't think she likes me very much anymore…" Sakura told her mother.**

**Sakura's mother sighed impatiently, "Sakura, face it. That girl Rin- she's dead. It's the talk of the town. Since she's dead, she _obviously _won't be coming around anymore… She died on a mission along with one of her comrades. Only one of her teammates survived." That's when reality came crashing down on poor little Sakura- Rin didn't hate her at all; she was just dead.**

**Sakura sobbed as she reminisced on how Rin always talked about how she wanted to take her "Saku-chin" to live with her. Sakura never understood why Rin seemed so desperate to get Sakura out of her house, but she adored Rin all the same.**

**Rin always talked about her team and told Sakura stories of her missions and funny experiences with her teammate. Sakura knew that she would be horrified if one of her colleagues died.**

"**Rin-chan…" Sakura sobbed, "Please, let this be a lie! You can't be dead! I love you…" Sakura continued to weep as she sunk to the floor; her mother watching her with a look of disgust gracing her features.**

"**O-Okaa-san? Where can I pay my respects to Rin-chan?" Sakura asked shakily. She was taking this well, and being extremely mature for her age.**

**Sakura's mother huffed, "If it'll get you to quit your blubbering, I'll tell you; the funeral's already over, but you can visit the memorial. There you will find her name engraved in the stone."**

**Gathering her composure, she decided to walk to the sakura tree and mull over things there. She sat in the shade of the tree and stared at the gray sky as she reminisced. When she began to cry once more, the rain came pouring down; but she didn't care. She actually found the rain comforting.**

**This was the first day that Gaara saw Sakura. And ever since, he was mesmerized.**

As Sakura recalled those grave events, she remembered that she never ended up visiting the memorial. She ended up falling asleep in the rain… and waking up in her bed. Weird.

Right now, she needed Rin, but she couldn't have her. Rin was dead and no jutsu could ever change that. But she had Sasuke, Sasuke was willing to comfort her and be here for her during this rough time.

Sasuke smiled, "Don't worry, Tenshi-chan! I don't plan on dying any time soon!" At this, Sakura couldn't help but to smile, at least a little. Her smile was a sad one. He was trying to cheer her up, and he was almost doing a good job.

Sakura was about to say something to Sasuke, when somebody walked in the door. It was Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. His eyes flickered to the mutilated bodies on the floor, but his expression didn't reveal any disgust, fear, or sadness to cause one to believe that he truly comprehended what lie there.

"Sakura, you should go for a walk. Otouto should probably go with you," Itachi stated, but it was truly a command.

Sakura released Sasuke and wiped away the remaining tears. Her bloodshot eyes and running nose wear the only signs left showing that she had been crying. She then looked Itachi in the eyes and shook her head.

Sakura said to him, "No, Itachi-san. You and Sasuke-kun should go home, I have somewhere I would like to visit anyways. Don't burden yourselves because of my pitiful existence…" Sakura face was sad, but accepting; she understood what she couldn't change, regardless of whether she liked it or not.

"Tenshi-chan… I'll wait here for you. Then you can stay at my house for the night," Sasuke said, his voice lacking its usual vitality. Itachi nodded in consent to his younger brother's idea.

Sasuke really didn't want to let her go, but he could tell that she needed some time alone. He wanted to do anything in his power to help Sakura, even if that meant that he would have to give her space and this time alone.

Sakura said uncertainly, "Sure… That sounds nice, thank you. But… What do I do about… them? And what about their funeral?"

"Their bodies are the reason I'm here. I am an ANBU squad captain. Lord Hokage-sama will be here later today or tomorrow to discuss financial and other matters with you," Itachi calmly explained.

"Thank you very much Itachi-san. I'll be back later Sasuke-kun… Thank you. Both of you…" Sakura whispered. Sasuke stared fixedly at the floor in an attempt to hide his blush. And because Sakura was so caught up in her current distress, he succeeded. Itachi just nodded slightly.

With one last glance at the bloody bodies of her parents, she walked collectedly out the door, as if she hadn't just found her parents' bodies. In those few minutes, she matured to that of an adult, but she was still locked in a four-year-old body. This incident shattered any happiness she may have had, it shattered the good side of her- her sweet innocence… She was… gone.

As she walked, she had absolutely no idea where her destination was located, but she would get there eventually. She wasn't worried about time; for her it seemed as though time had completely stopped. In her world, time was nonexistent.

She passed the sakura tree, looking only more wistful as she passed it. Her wistful expression disappeared when she recalled that she had met her two favorite people in the world there- Rin and Sasuke. That tree always seemed to watch over Sakura, perhaps granted her good luck when it could.

Now Sakura entered the heart of the village. People chatted merrily, completely oblivious that a young girl was left without a family on this day. They were so carefree, while she was mourning. But surely they had heard of her parents' murder? Weren't her parents highly respected people?

That's what she always thought, but no one seemed to care that they had been murdered. Or perhaps they simply didn't know.

But to Sakura, this all seemed unfair, _too_ unfair. The gossip throbbed around her, and about such pointless things. They had the time to gossip? They were surely blessed to be so untroubled, without peril.

Next, she noticed all of the children walking around with their family. Yet, those parents seemed so much kinder than hers had ever been. This only made her more envious.

Now she didn't bother to hold back her tears as she kept walking forward. Why? Why her? What was so wrong with her? Had she committed a sin so great that it even dirtied those around her? Dirtied them so much they simply died or looked upon her with disgust?

As she walked, she bumped into the back of a man. She was on the verge of apologizing, when she realized that he was ridiculing someone in front of him. In fact, it wasn't just him, there was a whole circle of him and his cronies crowded around this one person as the spat insults.

Sakura was still crying as she tried to get a peek at whom they had ganged up on. She got a glimpse of a little boy with sunny, blonde hair, three whisker markings on each of his cheeks, and beautiful blue eyes. He looked like a rebel, but one who certainly couldn't do much, not with these men.

Sakura tapped the man on the back who she had bumped into. She was going to try to get them to sweetly back off from the poor boy. The only reason she was helping him was because she thought that they were alike; always facing bullies.

The man turned around, angry at the interruption, and snapped, "What do you want, little girl? Would you like to join him?"

"Mister… Could you please just let him be?" Sakura asked timidly, with tears still streaming down her face. Now who could possibly resist a cute little girl with pink hair and big emerald eyes that was crying? Apparently he could.

"What, are you so scared that you're crying? Bawling her eyes out as she tries to help the Kyuubi. Pitiful…" the man scowled. All patience that Sakura possessed vanished the moment that he said the word "pitiful."

_And whenever you use those weapons to protect yourself, it's kind of like I'm protecting you too!_

As she remembered his joyous expression, she gained the self-confidence that she needed in this situation. After all, her Sasuke-kun would be protecting her, just like he said!

With skyrocketing chakra levels, and amazing speed for a little girl, she reached inside her pack from Sasuke, which was strapped on her leg and pulled out a kunai. She threw it near the man's head, attempting to shave off a few strands of his gray, bushy hair. And it worked. For having no experience she was incredible, prodigy material.

"I suggest that you and your little friends take a walk, or the next thing that my kunai cuts off isn't only going to be a few strands of your precious hair," Sakura warned in a serious tone. Her facial expression was dark, and was scaring the men more than her skills with the weaponry.

Gaara, who didn't follow her since he decided that she needed some time in solitary confinement, even if she didn't know of his presence, would have been proud of her skills.

"Maybe you're right! Well! It looks like we're done here boys!" the man laughed nervously, not wishing to lose any limbs to the little girl's wrath.

"Smart choice, now beat it, losers," Sakura hissed through clenched teeth. Immediately they obeyed, and ran off as fast as they could; it looked like they were all talk and no game.

The boy walked up to Sakura and said loudly, "I could have taken them any day!"

"Well… That sure is an odd way to say thank you," Sakura pondered aloud. She knew that he wouldn't have made it out unharmed without her assistance. She was still crying, but barely; it was like she couldn't switch off the steady flow of tears. The tears caused by reality.

"Hey, wait… I'm sorry… I'll say thank you if you stop crying… Please don't cry," the boy pleaded. He was sincere, and it appeared as though he didn't like to see her sorrow. That was very sweet, especially since he just met the girl.

She wiped away her tears, which were replaced by new ones in a matter of seconds, and assured, "Don't worry. You didn't make me cry… I'm just having a tough day… So why were they making fun of you?"

"Well… I don't know why… But I'm used to it… I'm always their target…" the blonde trailed off and then said sheepishly, "Thanks, I guess… So what's the pretty, savior's name?" Sakura blushed profusely at his complement. Slowly, this boy was beginning to cheer her up. Her tears had finally stopped, all thanks to him.

"My name's Haruno Sakura. And I should actually be the one thanking you… You have a knack for making people feel better. Thanks. So, what's _your_ name?" Sakura asked, feeling completely at ease around this stranger.

The kid stuck his thumb in the chest of his bright, orange shirt, and announced proudly, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm going to be the next Hokage, believe it!" Sakura couldn't resist sweat dropping at his enthusiasm.

"Ne, Sakura-chan… What was making you sad?" Naruto asked in a concerned voice.

Sakura's tears restarted as she explained, "Well… Naruto-san… My parents… They were killed while I wasn't home today… And… And I…" Sakura broke off sobbing, her resolve shattered.

She was shocked when she felt a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her for the second time that day. Only this time it wasn't Sasuke, it was Naruto. It must have appeared odd to the onlookers- a little girl sobbing in the arms of a little boy.

Naruto whispered sadly, "Don't worry, Sakura-chan you're not alone, I'll be there for you any time you need me! And you're not the only one without parents… I've _never_ had any parents…" When Sakura heard this, she gasped in realization- she wasn't the only one that needed a hug. He was completely alone, no family, _ever_, and no friends.

Without hesitation, Sakura returned the embrace tightly. Now it was Naruto's turn to gasp. The rain hadn't stopped, not until that moment. When the rain stopped, they broke apart and looked at the sky. The clouds in the sky parted just enough for the sun to shine through, just barely, but they could see the light.

This Naruto she had just met and became friends with remined her of Rin- always trying to cheer up those around them, even if they have problems of their own. Sakura was feeling extremely lucky, even though she lost her parents earlier that day. She had two very special friends, firends nobody could replace.

The sun that was just barely shining through the clouds was just like the hope they needed. Now, in their lives, through the sadness of the clouds, they can see the hope peeking through. Even if that light of hope in the darkness was just a sliver, it was worth living for.

* * *

Now that I'm done hurling from writing such a corny ending, I'll give you some translations!

Tadaima: I'm home

-chin: Ultra-cutesy honorific. Even more adoring than "-chan."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


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